In the face of 100,000-plus medical marijuana registry applications over the past year, the state's MMJ identification verification process slowed to an agonizing seven- or eight-month turnaround, triggering outcry from the marijuana community. Now, the health department says the backlog is gone and applicants are finally getting their cards within the 35-day timetable required by law.

"We are turning around medical marijuana registry applications within the 35-day window," reports Mark Salley, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. "We are essentially caught up on the backlog."

While there may be a few old applications still waiting to be processed, Salley is confident that that there will be no backlog left at all by December 31. Talk about joyous way to ring in the New Year.

More from our Marijuana archive: "Medical marijuana: Could most of Colorado Springs' MMJ biz be zoned out of existence?"

Get the Weekly Newsletter

Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.